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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — to paddle
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. face — part of the head
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. season — in sport
  15. content — happy
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — the season
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com